Jewish Identification Already Determined by the LORD in His Holy Bible

Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), May 27, 2010 at 12:23

Friends; like any who would seek to know the truth about what it is to be Jewish and whether the term Jewish is applicable to any or all of the circumstances relating to Israel, her people, and their place in their land of heritage, there is only one source that can be relied upon, and it is that source that I must rely upon as well. There is no other place that has the creditability of the Hebrew Holy Scriptures in describing in the terms the people of Israel must finally recognize, and in so recognizing, see that their obedience (and ours) to the WORD of the LORD is the only means to understand the true meaning of being Jewish.

My recognition of the confusion of some as to what it means to be Jewish, and the reason the definition of Jewishness is unsettled in some people's minds is because they do not recognize the authority of the Hebrew Holy Bible in its definition. Further, from this perspective, confusion also results when trying to make being a Zionist strictly Jewish, for I am not a Jew, but I am a Zionist by association. I'll explain that later.

Let us first deal with the question of what constitutes being Jewish, and why you have your opinion that I, not being Jewish, cannot by your assertion, understand what is, or is not, Jewish. Again, to reiterate, the determination of being Jewish is not by reason of any human logic, but by a process. And as much as you would like to dismiss the process for whatever reason of human logic that has been promulgated over the centuries, the process comes directly from the Hebrew Holy Bible, which we stress again is the only place from which it can be determined. One wonders why there is so much of the genealogy found in the Holy Bible, and this is the reason why: it describes the process of being Jewish, and why it is so very important to the identity of those so called.

How important, one might ask? I defer to the quote of my Savior, Jesus Christ: "salvation is of the Jews." He spoke this to His chosen people, but strangely at a time when, just as we see now, only a few would believe. It is later, after His death, burial and resurrection, that thousands (now millions) would come to believe in Him, and the witness of His Salvation is spread to all the world. It is said that the disciple Thomas went to India to share his witness of who Jesus Christ is. Where is the evidence of that now? We see it in the thousands in India, as well as the rest of the world, who have heard the Gospel and have believed in Jesus Christ as Savior, just as I do. Judah was plucked from all the tribes that proceeded from Jacob's brood, and it is in Judah that Jerusalem was established.

The term Jewish comes from the variant pronunciations of the tribal name, and so the establishment of Jerusalem in Judah derives its association from that as well. It is in Jerusalem, in Judea, that Jesus Christ brought His message of salvation home, where that message was driven home in fulfillment of the Biblical prophetic passages concerning His sacrificial death and resurrection. Human logic does not have the discernment to declare the Jewishness of Israel, the land of the Jews; your opinion along with those who continue to dispute the obvious is evidence of that. For me, it is a matter of choosing whom to believe, and I choose to believe Jesus Christ, for His evidence is much more compelling than anything any mere man or woman can offer. It is in His WORD that the Jewishness of Israel is established, so who am I to dispute Him? Nay, I rather do not contravene what the Holy Bible says is truth, but by His WORD I have the answer and there is no need for doubting Him. Now you speak of the disparity of understanding by others in the various Jewish communities, who by birthright are considered Jewish, and yet there seems to be a doubt in their minds from one tribal association to another.

Study the Holy Bible and find out that the WORD of the LORD calls this people hardhearted and stiff-necked; but the LORD loves them still, of which the proof of their continued existence and Jewish identity is minimal evidence to that fact. (Heard of any Phoenicians, Philistines lately?) But we know from the Holy Scriptures their factional squabbling will cease just before the return and arrival of their LORD. Then the question of their Jewishness will be settled in eternity, and Zion will be the Holy Hill of the LORD in this realm, not just in Heaven. Now, before, I mentioned I am a Zionist by association, and one might ask how can I be Zionist and not be Jewish. The WORD of the LORD calls out Zion in Jerusalem as being the place of His choosing; and with Jesus Christ being the LORD by Biblical proclamation, Zion is the place of His choosing. Since He is my LORD, and He is the King of Zion, that makes me Zionist by association. It all comes down to what one is willing to believe, for one way or another, that all will come to the realization that Jesus Christ was right after all. Believe it before the judgment, either in this life, or believe it as a result of judgment in death and condemnation for not doing so in life. That's the choice all need to make before it is too late.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".